In Hindsight
by Aish Sheva
Summary: As they always say, hindsight is 20/20. Unconventional pairing. Be warned.


**I'm going to tell you all beforehand, you will probably not like this pairing****. However, you should feel free to pairing!flame. I get a kick out of people ranting at me. (And yes, this is an AU.)****  
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**Looked over by the wonderful community on BlueTrident and beta'd by Sister Grimm Erin as well as Ellen 26 and probably someone else I've forgotten to mention. ''^_^ There should be a warning here, but that would give away the rest of the fic. So all I shall say is proceed with caution and enjoy!**

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When exactly did I fall in love?

The first time I met her, I hated her and everything she stood for. But in hindsight, maybe it was just denial of my feelings. After a while, I started noticing little details about her that I hadn't seen before-the infectious smile, her sweet scent, the way her eyes closed when she laughed. How kind she was to everyone, how hard she struggled to maintain some degree of normalcy in her crazy life. How her hands were always in motion, gesturing wildly to accompany her speech, and how smooth and soft looking they were. How she didn't hold a grudge against me when I came to her, asking for help in saving a friend, how she jumped at the chance to try and redeem herself in my eyes.

How my feelings for her were changing.

I knew that I shouldn't feel like that toward her, how everyone would frown if they knew. A mortal and a demigod shouldn't, perhaps, have been together in the first place, but this was even more taboo then that.

I didn't know what to do, so I squashed my feelings down into a tiny corner of my heart and ignored them, hoping they'd fade with time.

But when they didn't over the span of weeks, then months, and then years, I stopped trying to pretend they didn't exist. I faced the music instead of shrinking away from it as I had all this time.

The next time I saw her, I asked if I could talk to her in private, mumbling the words out of the side of my mouth so that none but she could hear them.

She nodded and smiled, and then told me that we could meet up somewhere later if I wanted.

My first thought when hearing this was if she asking me out on a date. Then I sighed and shook my head, trying to clear it of all the thoughts.

She noticed and, with a worried look on her face, asked me if there was a problem with that. I hurried to reassure her that no, there was not, and could we meet at the park a few blocks from her house a week from now? She nodded again, and we agreed on mid-morning.

After leaving, I sank down on a pair of steps in front of an apartment building and wondered what I had gotten myself into.

I entertained the idea of not showing up and lying about a forgotten commitment, but quickly dismissed it. Then I thought about going, but talking about something else instead. Sighing, I realized that I couldn't do that. Something about her gaze made my tongue freeze, and when it unfroze, what spilled out was always the truth.

My head hurt, and my heart slammed against my ribcage. I was supposed to be wise, and I had acted like such a fool. How could I go through with this?

The days flashed by. It was like having a train coming at you at full speed with no way to avoid it-I had a constant sense of impending doom.

And then suddenly it was the day of our meeting.

I spent far longer on my outfit that morning than I ever had before, trying for just the right look. I fussed over every little detail until I couldn't stand it anymore and practically ran out of the house, almost forgetting my keys. A nervous wreck, I made my way to our meeting spot.

She was already there, basking in the warm July sun. My heart skipped a beat when I saw her familiar face, with it's scattering of freckles and small marks, framed by a halo of fiery hair.

_Oh, gods._

I walked across the empty park, and settled myself down next to her.

"Um, hi."

"Hi." She turned to face me, smiling. "So what's up? What did you want to see me for?"

"I...I..." I choked on the words, not sure what to say. "Um...I.."

She nodded. "Should I just say it for you?" Oblivious to my state of near panic, she continued. "You like me, I think. Is that right or am I making stupid assumptions?"

"That's right," I stammered, thinking _Di immortales! How did she know?!_.

"Well, guess what, Annabeth? I like you, too." She smiled her red lips against the blue sky.

And then the next minute I find myself kissing a very willing Rachel Elizabeth Dare.

She tasted like strawberries, and sweetness and sunshine. I'd always wondered what Elpis, the hope spirit, looked like.

Now I knew.

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**Well, now. Hopefully none of you were expecting THAT... XD Reviews are love and flames are expected. Keep an eye out for the next installment, in which Percy's brain breaks.**

**Thanks for reading!**

**~Aish Sheva**


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